Arts & Events: November 2009 Archives

This phenomenal documentary isn't available on DVD, so if you are a fan of Los Angeles, and taking a look at its psyche and image through film, go, go, go, go to The Egyptian tonight at 7:30 p.m. to catch this screening. Director Thom Andersen has assembled an epic quantity and sampling of movie clips, plus wry narration, to look at the city in a whole new way. Be warned--it runs 169 minutes...but it's so worth it! And: Don't forget there's going to be major street closures in the area due to the Hollywood Christmas Parade, so scout an alternate route, or take the Metro; the Theatre suggests approaching from the South. ($10)

LA's a-glut with foodbloggers, and many of them will put their fingers to work in their kitchens, not their keyboards, next Saturday to take part in the first ever Blogger Bake Sale. The event, dubbed "Eat My Blog," happens on December 5th at the WeHo location of Zeke's Smokehouse [LAist Review], and was put together by Gastronomy Blog's Cathy Danh.

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Long after his death, Andy Kaufman remains a polarizing man. Some folks (either at the time or now, out of a sense of bereaved duty) love the antics of Andy, while others steadfastly maintain his unfunny arrogance. Probably larger than any of these opposing camps, however, is the mass of folks who were, well... more confused than anything. For a lot of people, Andy Kaufman was (and remains) something that they just didn’t ‘get’, if for no other reason than they never felt like they were in on the joke. And that, at least, is clearly understandable.

Weekend Edition

Comedian Jimmy Pardo's (LAist Interview) popular and hilarious podcast, Never Not Funny, hosts its first ever all-night webcast telethon tonight (Pardcast-a-thon) from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. This all-nighter is a fundraiser to benefit The Smile Train, a charity focused on repairing the cleft lip and palates of afflicted children in developing nations.

Moods of Norway on Robertson has treats planned for Black Friday shoppers today: Complimentary champagne and waffles and 15% off purchases.

Tonight LA-based pop rock act Rooney will be headlining the El Rey Theatre with none other than Ann Arbor's own Tally Hall. Vancouver-bred garage rockers Japandroids are poised to take on the Echo with Florida-based surf-infused rock outfit Surfer Blood in tow. And, lastly, local indie rock duo the Voyeurs (LAist Interview, Review) will be gracing Casey's Irish Pub in Downtown. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Palace Theatre in Downtown as well to catch the Strokes' vocalist and chief songwriter Julian Casablancas (LAist Interview), who will be concluding his month-long residency. LAist favorites, Austin-by-way-of-Dallas garage rock outfit the Strange Boys (LAist Review, #2).

Thanksgiving is gone and it's officially Christmas time. Happy Black Friday.

Surely, Thanksgiving is a time to reflect upon what you are truly grateful for. And family, friends and good health tend to make their way to the forefront of your mind. But what about music? Ah yes, music.

If you are either cooking the Thanksgiving feast or are fortunate enough to be sitting around, waiting for it to be cooked, you might want to have some television accompaniment other than the endless cavalcade of football games, college and otherwise.

How about a barbecued Thanksgiving? Thankfully, SoCal weather allows for it. Feast your eyes on Adam Carolla, a feisty Joel McHale, and Jimmy Pardo (LAist Interview) taking drool-worthy lessons from Grillmaster Adam Perry Lang. More videos from the three-parter after jump...

The TV Junkie Plan: "Living With Ed", "Modern Family", "Cougar Town", "Nip/Tuck", Letterman, Fallon.

This Thanksgiving, classics abound, while the family's in town. The Alex Theatre brings the slapstick with its 12th annual Three Stooges event featuring four Curly titles & 100% pure Shemp, in eye-poking 3D! If that's not rare enough, feast your eyes on the special guests & Stooges memorabilia raffled off at intermission. Nyuck nyuck. The American Cinematheque celebrates 70 years of Gone With The Wind & The Wizard of Oz with lavish screenings & costume contests to win shiny new blu-rays. LACMA thrills the stuffing out of you with two Hitchcock doubles, while Cinefamily showcases the live-action/claymation hybrid Alice in Wonderland. Disney suppressed its theatrical run to avoid competing with their animated adaptation, and considering they've got their own live-action adaptation forthcoming, I wouldn't bank on this seeing the light of day anywhere else soon.

Shakespeare fans have something to check out for a couple more weeks: Richard III. Acclaimed theatre group A Noise Within's production of the Shakespeare classic spearheads their 2009 - 2010 season. Directed by the group's co-founder and co-artistic director Geoff Elliott, the production features long time company members and runs through December 12th at the group's theatre in Glendale. Schedule and times vary, so check their web site for further details.

Tonight English electronic act Simian Mobile Disco will be headlining the Mayan Theatre in Downtown. Athens-based folk troubadours the Vic Chesnutt Band are poised to take on the Echoplex with none other than local indie rock outfit Warpaint (LAist Review, #2, #3). And, lastly, LA-bred pop rockers the Like will be gracing the Echo. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Hotel Café to catch Georgia-bred singer-songwriter/producer Butch Walker. LAist favorite, local singer-songwriter Kenneth Pattengale is slated to kick things off.

Ed Begley Jr. has performed in the most incredible array of stage, film, and television productions over the last 40 years, getting his small screen start in such staples as "My Three Sons" and "Adam-12" to being a face you saw everywhere during the Heyday of Television in "Laverne & Shirley", "Quincy M.E.", "Mannix", and his primary role as Dr. Victor Ehrlich in "St. Elsewhere". Also well known for his work in Christopher Guest's films, Begley has been a massive presence in some of the best contemporary TV out there: "Six Feet Under", "Arrested Development", "Boston Legal", and "Veronica Mars".

Forget this week's corporate bonanza shopping blitz known as "Black Friday." Show your support for local artists and crafters by shopping at Unique Los Angeles, an occasional showcase of local talent that you'll want to buy for the loved ones on your holiday gift lists. The 2nd Annual Unique Los Angeles Holiday show is the largest independent design show on the West Coast, where you can shop from over 300 designers and artists.

It’s hard to pinpoint the moment it occurs, but at some point while watching John Fogerty run through the highlights of his career at the Kodak Theater, one gets the distinct sensation of tapping the source. Though the songs he wrote for Creedence Clearwater Revival were mostly conceived roughly forty years ago, they seem to be as old as the mountains. They’re so ingrained in the collective consciousness, so deeply embedded, that it’s easy to take them for granted, to assume they’ve just always been around. Not for nothing were they Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski’s favorite band; they’re a signifier of righteousness.

I don't know if you've noticed, but there seems to be a very healthy country/folk scene growing in Los Angeles. Which is a little unexpected, LA is not the first city that you think of when you think of Americana, but the developing sound is nothing short of wonderful. From Olin and the Moon, to Dawes, to Leslie and the Badgers, The Whiskey Saints, Parson Red Heads, and Mississippi Man, there is definitely something in air. To add to that list, please include Lissie (Maurus) a young lady originally from Rock Island, IL who has been calling LA home for the last five years. Her debut EP Where You Runnin' has been making huge waves. In fact, I don't think I've seen critics this excited about an EP since Bon Iver's Blood Bank EP earlier this year. And for damn good reason too.

We made it to the 37th International Emmys last night and got a quick word with Sir David Frost, who has interviewed every US president since 1969: looks like he'll be interviewing President Obama in the next six months. The host of the event was the perpetually cheerful and energetic Graham Norton whose "The Graham Norton Show" can be found on BBC America every Saturday night. Also, Dr. Henry Kissinger was there to present an award to Germany's ZDF TV for actively broadcasting western programming into East Germany during the Cold War.

It's that wonderful time of the year again. Door-busters, pant-busters, wallet-busters. We've included some ideas for some Thanksgiving volunteer opportunities. You know, so you feel less guilty after eating 14 pounds of stuffing or to prevent you from drinking all day and making things awkward at dinner. Or perhaps you want to take part out of the kindness of your heart, because you are thankful to live in the greatest place ever. This list isn't exhaustive, so leave other ideas in the comments!

       

Still not quite sure why so many branded Funny People an unmitigated disaster. Sure, it wasn't as big of a box-office performer as your standard Apatow or Sandler joint, but it was hardly a huge bomb ($51M). Plus, the reviews were fairly solid across the board (68% positive on RT). Something tells me that this is a film that people will find on DVD and VOD, and it will eventually become a basic-cable classic. It's not saying much, but Angels & Demons was a hell of a lot better than The Da Vinci Code. If you want to see a great movie that takes place in the same basic neighborhood, try out the fascinating Gomorrah.

As part of the Actors’ Gang WTF!? Festival, PEN Center USA hosts a conversation with author TC Boyle. He’s written 20 books of fiction and more than 60 short stories and won the PEN/Faulkner award in 1988 for his third novel, World's End, which recounts 300 years in upstate New York. Bar opens at 7PM. Show at 8 pm. Tickets: $20.

If you're free tomorrow morning and want to try something fun for free, check out KTLA's "Free Ice Skating Party to Kick Off The Holidays" which happens 7-11 tomorrow morning at the Downtown on Ice rink at Pershing Square, according to Blogdowntown. "The station's Morning News will be doing a live show from the Downtown park," so you'll have a chance to fall on your rear on the local morning show.

Pardo’s Monday-through-Friday gig is “The Tonight Show”'s warm-up comedian, where he cracks up the studio audience before Conan O’Brien does more of the same. He’s also one of the few financially successful podcasters, hosting the award-winning weekly show, “Never Not Funny” (”The Pardcast,”) alongside co-host Matt Belknap.

Cause if it's pretty fast, you still have time to get your mo on for Movember. Mo is Australian for moustache, and Movember is an organization that raises awareness and funds for prostate and testicular cancer. Much like the Avon 3-day walk or the AIDS Walk, men build teams and throughout the month of November, vigorously sit, wait, and grow, all while collecting money towards cancer research.

Gobble, gobble, mothereffers. If you ever wanted to feel lazy, fat, underworked and overfed, this is the week. And all of these things should lead you inevitably towards the dark confines of a comedy show. I've seen people in New York sleep in their seats instead of give up a spot for a show, and you don't want New York to be better than us at ANYTHING, DO YOU?!

The TV Junkie Plan: "How I Met Your Mother", "Jon & Kate Plus 8", Leno (The Governator + Gaga), Kimmel.

'Tis the season to pretend it's winter in Los Angeles. One surefire way to get into the spirit of things is to don a pair of skates and take to the ice for some cold-weather fun. There are a few outdoor skating rinks that you might want to check out in the coming weeks with family and friends, in Santa Monica's Ice, Pershing Square, L.A. Live, Woodland Hills, Redondo Beach, and Thousand Oaks. Here's a map to help you find a rink; you're on your own though if you need help keeping your butt from landing on the ice!

The exhibit Melting Point opens today at the El Camino College Art Gallery in Torrance featuring the art of Marshall Astor, Angie Bray, Bill Brody, Richard Carter, Michael Davis, Daniel Du Plessis, Mineko Grimmer, Rebeca Mendez, Tom McMillin and George Geyer (collaboration), Margaret Pezalla, Victor Raphael, Greta Waller and Tal Yizrael. Each of the 14 Southern California artists approach “melting point” from a distinct perspective. The exhibit runs through Dec. 18.

Tonight Irvine-bred heavy rock outfit Thrice will be headlining the Avalon with none other than Boston-based experimental rock act the Dear Hunter. NY's own experimental musical duo the Books (LAist Review) are poised to grace the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever. And, lastly, local indie rockers the Happy Hollows (LAist Review, #2, #3) will be taking on the penultimate night of their month-long residency at Spaceland with New Jersey-based psych-infused indie rockers Real Estate, One Trick Pony and Dios (Malos) (LAist Interview, Review, #2). But we strongly suggest heading over to the Echo to catch British indie pop quintet Fanfarlo (LAist Interview). LAist favorites, Queens' own indie pop buzz band Freelance Whales are slated to kick things off.

              

On Friday night at the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City, LAist was invited to Shag's exhibit "Autumn's Come Undone" featuring new paintings and series of very limited edition giclees on canvas.

       

In a stunning debut, New Moon blew away expectations by raking in a huge $140.7M to easily win the weekend. Do teenage girls ever flock to good movies? (Incidentally -- for those unfamiliar with the books -- the next films will feature Bella nearly being fucked to death and Jacob falling in love with a baby. Seriously.) Sports pic The Blind Side also topped early estimates, bringing in a robust $34.5M to place a strong second. After that it was last week's champ, the dreadful 2012 ($26.5M | $108.2M) and newcomer Planet 51 ($12.6M). Jim Carrey's so-so A Christmas Carol rounded out the top 5 ($12.2M | $79.7M).

       

You've got to really, really want to see a band if you go to the Gibson Amphitheatre. You can't just drop by casually and check it out. One has to commit themselves mentally, physically, and financially for such a trip. By the time you've shelled out an exorbitant sum for parking, had your senses assaulted from all sides by the glowing hell scape that is Universal Citywalk and are finally sitting in the murky, oppressive gloom of the amphitheater, most of us are grumpy as hell and in desperate need of a stiff drink. Fortunately for everyone at that venue The Silversun Pickups are so good that they managed to erase all of those bad memories after the first couple notes. Even the depressing ambiance of the venue was lifted immediately as front man, Brian Aubert couldn't contain his joy at being home, "Forgive us if it’s a little cheeseball, but we’ve been waiting so long to say these three little words: Hello, Los Angeles!” The crowd roared in welcome, and Aubert asked that the house lights be turned on so he could see his adoring fans. After soaking up some of the hometown love, the triumphant Pickups set about the task of blowing everyone's mind (and eardrums).

Shows like Tom and Jerry, Bugs Bunny, and Woody Woodpecker got into all kinds of shenanigans set to the music from Barber of Seville. Check out what the barber was really up to in this week's classical pick. In this rough economic climate, families are always looking to streamline costs. With this week's classical pick, you can have your cake and eat it too. At 6 PM tonight, the American Youth Symphony will be hosting their opening night gala at Royce Hall with Sarah Chang. Sarah Chang will lead the orchestra in Vivaldi's Four Seasons and the talented young adult orchestra will also perform Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. A fundraiser dinner will be served in a heated tent next to the theatre, and the evening will be hosted by comedian Paul Reiser. Concert only tickets are 25/50/75, and tickets for the fundraiser dinner are 500 (tax deductible). For more information, click here.

Tonight legendary New Jersey-based horror punk progenitors the Misfits (LAist Review) will be headlining the Key Club. Eisley, a familial, Texan indie rock quintet, are poised to grace the Troubadour with none other than Miniature Tigers (LAist Interview, Review). And, lastly, local rockers War Tapes will be taking on the Smell in Downtown. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown to catch the conclusion of Maine-bred folk singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne's three-night stint. LAist favorite, Rock Island-based alternative country singer-songwriter Lissie is slated to kick things off.

              

Attention violin students everywhere: Hang in there, kids. It is possible to parlay those Vivaldi exercises into a musical career with a fan base of near-hysterical young women. Just ask the dreamy Owen Pallett of Final Fantasy, whose austere synth and drum-accompanied strings nearly brought the house down last Sunday. The profound beauty of the headlining Mountain Goats, on tour to promote their latest full-length, The Life of the World to Come, followed, and the sum total was a night of gorgeous sights, sounds, and stories.

The popular Swimsuit Ice Skating Weekend returns to sunny Seaside Ice--the only outdoor ice skating rink on the beach. Skate in your swimwear from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Prizes will be awarded for the best bathing suit, too! (Of course, you can also skate in your "regular" clothes from 4-10 p.m.) Admission to this 7,200 square foot outdoor rink is $14 for adults, $12 for kids 12-under (non-skaters can hang for free); admission includes skate rental.

              

OK, OK, OK. We know that this is long overdue. But we couldn't pass up the opportunity to share the night that the illustrious Beth Ditto took the Fonda stage in what we assume was her pre-Halloween take on the ever charming Wilma Flintsone. It was all cat moves and throaty swagger, or what we've come to expect from the Gossip. No one works a crowd like this crew, and they had the fans singing along to every word off their new full-length, Music for Men. If you haven't given them (or aptly named opener's Men, fronted by Le Tigre's JD Samson) a try, it's a definite must.

This is an annual event aimed more at the naughty (although, hey, there's fun for the nice, too). It's SantaCon, a send up of sorts of the absurdity and kitsch of the Christmas season. Or, as the organizer puts it: "Santacon is a response to the consumer-culture of Amerika's Holiday season."

              

Did you know that They Might Be Giants records albums for kids? That are educational? And still rock? If it was inevitable that all the long-standing indie music fans would grow up and have kids, it would follow that all the long-standing indie bands would grow up and have kids, too. And why should either group have to resign themselves to a life of mind-numbing Kidz Bop or Wiggles tunes?

       

Arriving on a tidal wave of hype from their native England, The Big Pink filled the El Rey with expectant fans and critics all ready to see if their live show was as good as their debut album A Brief History of Love which was released in September. And was it? Well, I guess the best answer to that question is sometimes.

This weekend, all you have to do to watch bone-crushing, high impact violence is turn on either CBS or Fox's coverage of the NFL. Also this weekend, you can head over to the Laemmle Sunset 5, in West Hollywood to get some perspective on the aftermath of those helmet-to-helmet collisions.

Since its inception in 1999, the members of the Lodestone Theatre Ensemble "have always done the shows we wanted the way we wanted,” asserts company co-founder Philip W. Chung. “We were all young back then, and none of us had any experience running a theater company. Maybe if we knew better, we wouldn’t have done it that way. But we’ve maintained our identity the whole time and we never deviated from our initial mission: to stretch the definition of Asian-American theater."

Tonight Maine-bred folk singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne will be continuing a three-night stint at the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown with LAist favorite, Illinois-based alternative country singer-songwriter Lissie. As mentioned previously, South Carolina-by-way-of-Seattle folk rockers Band of Horses are poised to headline the Avalon with none other than local indie rock outfit Sea Wolf (LAist Interview, Review, #2, #3), as well as a bevy of of other great musicians, to benefit the Pablove Foundation. And, lastly, Swedish indie rockers Peter Bjorn and John (LAist Review, #2) will be taking on Club Nokia in Downtown. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Henry Fonda Music Box to catch St. Albans-based dance pop outfit Friendly Fires (LAist Review). LAist favorites, acclaimed British indie rock outfit the XX are slated to kick things off.

Add some South American sizzle to your recipe repertoire with today's class held at the Museum of Latin American Art. Learn to make arepas, a massively versatile Venezuelan dish made with corn bread, then filled with eggs, meat, tomatoes, salad, cheese, shrimp, or fish. 11:30 a.m.

Time to get in that luscious Thanksgiving mood with the Sexy Pilgrim. You may recognize the wearer of this doublet and breeches as none other than JR Reed (AKA Darryl Donald) from Trainwreck.

Weekend Edition We're very much looking forward to Sunday's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" season finale. The "Seinfeld" reunion has been played perfectly - not overemphasized and very realistically positioned for the best comedic effect. A comedian on the circuit told me that "Curb" wasn't funny, and he's right that it's not funny in a stand-up comedy kind of way but it's sure as hell funny...

In 2001 The Appleseed Cast found themselves in a sticky situation in Germany. Their booking agent had told some promoters at a record store that the band would do an acoustic set. Lead singer, Chris Crisci explains, "Prior even going over to Europe we had had this discussion with our agent. He wanted us to do an acoustic show. We said no. He asked again. We said no. So we get to this record store in Germany, and they were like "So you're playing this acoustic thing?" I was so pissed. How much more clear could we be? But it turns out that people really liked what we were playing." Crisci decided to try out some of the new material he had been writing on the side, and it went really well. So well, he decided to form his own folk side project, Old Canes.

                     

Is it just me or do the weird, little Mormon books by Stephanie Meyer not exactly qualify as a "saga"? And why does no one discuss the awful examples of social behavior (e.g. how awesome it is to date violent, distant men) that the books promote? Nevertheless, here comes Twilight Saga: New Moon. It will make close to a hundred million dollars this weekend, and in a few years people will barely remember it. I'm much more excited about Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. Werner Herzog + a fully-caffeinated Nic Cage + a sleepwalking Eva Mendes = awesome. Yes, I am dead serious. Michael Oher has a great story which I'm sure will be watered-down and simplified in The Blind Side. Hey Hollywood -- less accents, more story!

A Noise Within is hosting White Russians and Discussions tonight following the 8 pm performance of a new adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment. The Russian-themed reception features guest speaker Ed Bacon, Rector for All Saints Church in Pasadena, who will discuss the story of Lazarus, and the ways in which its tale of rebirth intersects with the central figure in the play. Tickets: $44.

Tonight, as always, local multi-instrumentalist/producer extraordinaire Jon Brion (LAist Interview, #2, Review) will be jamming with friends at the Largo at the Coronet. Maine-bred folk singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne is taking on a three-night stint at the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown with LAist favorite, Rock Island-based alternative country singer-songwriter Lissie. And, lastly, Austin/Brooklyn-bred electro pop duo Neon Indian will be gracing the Echoplex with none other than Northampton's own electro-infused indie rock act Tigercity. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Bootleg Theater to catch San Diegan rockers Delta Spirit (LAist Interview), who will be performing as a part of When You Awake's Neil Young Tribute. LAist favorites, Jason Simon of psych rock outfit Dead Meadow, indie pop outfit the Parson Red Heads (LAist Review, #2, #3), alt-country songstress Leslie Stevens of Leslie and the Badgers, folk troubadour Ferraby Lionheart (LAist Interview, Review) and many other talented local artists will be chiming in to celebrate the music of Neil Young, of course, but also to support the Children’s Music Fund.

Other big (and colder) cities get ice rinks, so what's there to stop us? Great weather might be one factor, but it hasn't stopped the likes of the cities of Santa Monica and Los Angeles.

Here's a little something something for people (like this LAist poster) heading for the Swell Season concert at the Wiltern tonight. Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) asked for songwriting advice from the band, and Markéta Irglová told him to "write a song from the heart" and "include as much personal information as you can." Here's the result, which he performed at last night's show.

We've reached Thursday which means it's comedy night topped by "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" on FX at 10pm providing some insight into how Dennis manages to score with so many women. We also had a chance to see the "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" Holiday special, "A Very Sunny Christmas": a 43 minute featurette that's been getting a lot of promo on FX the last couple weeks. If you're a fan, you have to get a hold of it, no question there, it's on DVD & Blu-ray at Amazon. What do you get: Danny DeVito nude and greased up; a supporting role from veteran actor David Huddleston; brilliant casting of "young" Mac, Charlie, Dennis, and Dee (they appear to have used cloning!); classic animation in the style of Rankin/Bass; a disturbing and surreal Christmas sing-a-long with the gang from Paddy's.

Okay, it's time to stop munching on that mac and cheese. On the heels of a major makeover to the Los Angeles Marathon route , two new half marathons for Los Angeles were announced today by separate companies. Come this January, the 13.1 Los Angeles Marathon will run through the Westside and next October, the popular Rock n' Roll Marathon will make a debut in Los Angeles, replacing the City of Angels Half Marathon.

I’ve been following Marked5 (one of the children of the post-Kogi mobile foodscape boom) on Twitter for a few months. Doing so kept reminding me, in 140 character bursts, that their Japanese burgers were roaming the city, awaiting taste buds.

Good Luck Bar celebrates its 15th anniversary tonight with a special event that features Chinese burlesque (10 pm, 11 pm and midnight), DJ Travis Keller and the Kogi Truck in attendance. Drink specials include: $5 Stolis, Sailor Jerry, Cazadores or Jack Daniel's cocktails; selected beers for $2. The party’s on from 7 pm to close.

Tonight the Swell Season, an indie folk duo formed by Irish musician Glen Hansard and Czech singer and pianist Markéta Irglová, will be closing out a two-night stint at the Wiltern with Idaho's own pop folk singer-songwriter Josh Ritter in tow. Austin-based electro-pop duo Ghostland Observatory (LAist Review, #2) are poised to headline the Keyclub. And, lastly, local electronic mastermind Daedelus will be performing at the Silent Movie Theatre. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Troubadour to catch Athens' own garage rock revivalists the Whigs. LAist favorites, Portland-based indie rockers the Dead Trees are slated to kick things off.

      

The Road to Freedom: Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement, 1956-1968 makes its West Coast debut today at the Skirball Center. It features more than 160 images that were taken by professional and amateur photographers and social activists to chronicle the injustice in America and helped build the momentum for the civil rights movement.

       

Something extraordinary is happening in the basement of the Walt Disney Concert Hall. It's hilarious, it's mindblowing... wait scratch that... it's a delirious and appetizing mind fuck.

It was just a few months ago when 6-year old Pablo Castelaz lost his battle with cancer, after treatment at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. 13 months before that, he was diagnosed, almost seemingly out of nowhere showing no warning signs prior, with bilateral Wilms’ Tumor, a rare form of children’s cancer.

       

As noted over the weekend, MOCA is offering free admission at their two downtown locations through Friday. The museum is celebrating thirty years by displaying their permanent collection through May 3rd.

13 days ago we wrote about the Parents Television Council boycott of The CW because of advertising for "Gossip Girl" and at Monday's launch party for Mark Liddell's "Exposed: 10 Years in Hollywood" we grabbed the opportunity to ask "Gossip Girl"'s Kelly Rutherford (aka Lily van der Woodsen) about the boycott - please watch the above video for her thoughts. [Also, what a thrill to talk to Megan from the original "Melrose Place"!]

A fun bit of trivia for film snobs & martial arts fans: Jackie Chan's Supercop was originally released on laserdisc by the prestigious Criterion Collection. The Nuart pays tribute to this cinematic masterwork with a midnight screening on Friday. The New Beverly features fellow Criterion alum, Krysztof Kieslowski, with two out of Three Colors, and the Aero has yet another with a Citizen Kane replay. For Overlooked Auteurs, visit the Cinefamily for a deadly double featuring director Ted Kotcheff (who? Mr. Rambo: First Blood & Weekend At Bernie's, that's who!).

Santa Ana's Bowers Museum of Cultural Art hosts LATITUDES: Latin American Artists from the Femsa Collection, an art exhibit, through January 17th. Featuring a variety of works by Latin American heavyweights such as Diego Rivera, Wilfredo Lam and Frida Kahlo, the exhibit includes pieces representative of surrealism and abstraction, as well as portraits, murals and landscapes.

Tonight the Swell Season, an indie folk duo formed by Irish musician Glen Hansard and Czech singer and pianist Markéta Irglová, will be gracing the Wiltern with Idaho's own pop folk singer-songwriter Josh Ritter in tow. New Orleans-bred indie pop act the Generationals are poised to perform at Spaceland, warming up the stage for Canadian indie pop outfit the Hidden Cameras and Guelph-based indie rock singer-songwriter Gentleman Reg. Local indie rockers Radars to the Sky will be ringing in their latest disc at the Echo with none other than Le Switch. But we strongly suggest heading over to the El Rey Theatre to catch London-based electro-infused rock duo the Big Pink. Long Beach natives Crystal Antlers (LAist Review) and LA-bred goth/dance-infused rock duo IO Echo are slated to kick things off.

       

We've shown you two secret street art spots (here and here) around the Los Angeles area in the past couple weeks, but today we present you with a place you can actually go and see yourself. It's one of those in-your-face spots that you can easily miss, but Sunset Junction can be a treasure trove. Two parcels south of El Pollo Loco on Sunset at Sanborn is an empty lot.

Here's what happens when The Bearded Guy From The Hangover sits down with The Tall Guy From The Tonight Show and That Pumpkinhead Guy From The Tonight Show.

Dear ladies of Los Angeles: if you're 35+ and are considered "hot stuff", prove it by auditioning for TV Land's "She's Got The Look" on December 6th. Check out the details and let us know if you made the cut.

Norway's dance club mastermind Annie emerged on the music scene in 1999, with a Madonna-sampling bit of pop brilliance called "Greatest Hit" that created considerable underground buzz, which she capitalized on by spending... the next 5 years... recording her debut album. Despite the ominous overtones that usually accompany such obsessive tinkering, that record, , was brilliant from start to finish, chock full of songs spanning various dance styles that felt shockingly new and warmly nostalgic at the same time. It earned her the slavish devotion of fans of perfectly crafted pop dance music, widespread critical acclaim, and several minor hits including the bittersweet "Heartbeat", and her amazing ass-shaking ode to the playgirl lifestyle, "Chewing Gum".

              

On many Tuesdays, the pickings are slim among the new crop of DVDs. And then there are days like today where the bounty is almost too rich. Where better to start than with JJ Abrams' re-start of the Star Trek franchise. Did anyone not like this movie? You know, except for those people who automatically don't like things because they're popular. In other news, there may not have been a funnier movie this year than Humpday. There definitely wasn't a funnier scene than the dinner table revelation between Josh Leonard and Alycia Delmore. Is the number one rule about the Fight Club Blu-Ray DVD that we don't talk about it? That wouldn't make sense. Sure, Bruno wasn't as funny as Borat but the swinging dick scene was priceless.

Mark Liddell is the photographer of choice when an actor or celebrity needs to create an iconic image of themselves. From supermodels like Naomi Campbell to rockers like Avril Lavigne to socialites like Paris Hilton, among their most compelling photos were shot by Liddell. Many photographs of these celebrities were done in the name of advancing charity work and now Liddell has released his first book of photographs, Exposed: 10 Years in Hollywood, to benefit The Trevor Project (suicide prevention for teens), which he chose in memory of his best friend’s suicide, and The Jenesse Center for the prevention of domestic violence. The book is available at Channel Photographics and can be pre-ordered at Amazon.

Celebrated jazz bassist Charlie Haden returns to his bluegrass/country roots with his family and friends tonight at Walt Disney Concert Hall tonight at 8 pm. Joining him on stage are his daughters, the Haden triplets (Tanya, Rachel and Petra), son Josh Haden, wife Ruth Cameron, son-in-law Jack Black, and bluegrass greats including Jerry Douglas, dobro. There’s a 25% discount on tickets in the terrace and balcony sections. Use the code HADEN.  

              

Last Tuesday, LA-Underground co-presented a show with KCRW at the Bootleg Theater, featuring Kentucky-based Daniel Martin Moore as well as beloved locals Eleni Mandell, Inara George (The Bird and the Bee), and Ferraby Lionheart.

Tonight LA-based rock supergroup Them Crooked Vultures, which is comprised of Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, John Paul Jones and Alain Johannes, will be headlining the Wiltern. Québécois garage rock duo King Khan and BBQ Show are poised to grace the Troubadour with none other than Tennessee-based country/rockabilly trio Those Darlins (Esh CANCELED!) And, lastly, Olympia-bred lo-fi pop outfit LAKE will be taking on the Smell in Downtown. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Bootleg Theater to catch Portland-based experimental folk rock quintet Loch Lomond. LAist favorites, fellow Oregonians Horse Feathers are slated to perform as well.

       

After showing you some amazing street art at a secret location last week, we became savvy to another excellent location. Of course, the deal is that we can't share where, but we hope you can enjoy this as is. Featured here is local artist Vyal, Know Hope of Tel-Aviv and Tony Bones of Texas.

Weekend Notes: January Jones was host of "Saturday Night Live" and if Taylor Swift "nailed" her hosting duties a week ago then Jones did at least as good of a job. The key difference was the writing and the writing was definitely better for the November 7th show. Could it have been a better show? Yes, but not from anything January Jones could have done. It was so painfully obvious that the show had no idea what to do with her - most of her sketches were variations on her "Mad Men" role and most weren't very good. After an hour and a half, we still don't know if Jones is a good comedic actress, c'mon "SNL".

Kellan Lutz plays Emmett Cullen in the Twilight saga: Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse, and was also in HBO's Emmy-winning series "Generation Kill" with fellow vampire genre god, Alexander Skarsgård aka Eric Northman of "True Blood". We talked with Lutz about his experience with Skarsgård, details on the New Moon sequel, Eclipse, as well as his aspirations for the future.

SWAP SHOP* The LA Vintage Swap Party takes place tonight from 7-9 pm at What Goes Around Comes Around (at Space15Twenty). Co-hosts Alexi Wasser of imboycrazy.com, stylist Monica Rose and Geri Hirsch, Founder of BecauseImAddicted.net help guests swap vintage fashion with fresh designs from the best closets in the city. Bring 1-4 quality vintage items and get treated to music by DJ Magdalena and complimentary drinks by Tito’s Vodka and KARMA California Brut. RSVP to: ghwang@thinkpublicrelations.com (Bonus: Umami Burger just opened in Space15Twenty, too!)

Tonight LA-based rock supergroup Them Crooked Vultures, which is comprised of Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, John Paul Jones and Alain Johannes, will be performing last minute at the Roxy. Local folk-infused pop outfit Mississippi Man are poised to continue their residency at the Silver Lake Lounge with the Color Turning in tow. And, lastly, Bogotá-based experimental electro quintet Bomba Estéreo will be performing in-store at Amoeba Music in Hollyweird. But we strongly suggest heading over to Spaceland to catch local indie rockers the Happy Hollows (LAist Review, #2, #3). LAist favorites, Brooklyn-bred surf-infused post-punk act the Drums and Parson Red Heads front man Evan Way are slated to kick things off.

Taking place this Friday at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre is Laughs for Bald Bryan, a night of top-notch comedy and some pretty great music. The special night is to benefit “Bald Bryan” Bishop, Adam Carolla’s former morning radio compliment, who, at 31, is battling an inoperable brain tumor.

       

In a surprisingly robust debut, 2012 took in a huge $65M to easily capture the weekend box-office crown. Despite completely sucking, the latest Roland Emmerich disaster pic easily out-distanced last week's champ, Disney's A Christmas Carol which managed to bring in a decent $22.3M in its second frame ($63.2M). Grant Heslov's hilarious The Men Who Stare at Goats grabbed third place ($6.2M | $23.3M), just ahead of indie powerhouse Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire ($6M | $8.9M). The creepy and morbid Michael Jackson's That Was It rounded out the top 5 ($5.1M | $68.2M).

Jesse Thorn has a wonderful nationally syndicated public radio show called The Sound of Young America. Unfortunately it's not on local public radio, but the weekly program is available via podcast. Current thought a television version of the interview program would be a great idea, but they ended up changing formats, and the show was never green-lit. This pilot was shot in Koreatown, which was where TSOYA used to be recorded. The radio show's studio, Thorn's domicile, is now Silverlake.

This is the first video from Matmos' new album, and you can catch them this Saturday at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. You knew it would happen. After countless collaborations and performances with the LA Phil, John Adams has signed on as the orchestra's creative chair and is in charge of the first festival under Dudamel: West Coast, Left Coast...

This week Maine-bred folk singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne will be taking on a three-night stint at the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown with LAist favorite, Illinois-based alternative country singer-songwriter Lissie. The Swell Season, an indie folk duo formed by Irish musician Glen Hansard and Czech singer and pianist Markéta Irglová, are poised to grace the Wiltern with Idaho's own pop folk singer-songwriter Josh Ritter in tow. St. Albans-based dance pop outfit Friendly Fires (LAist Review) will be headlining the Henry Fonda Music Box with none other than acclaimed British indie rock outfit the XX. And, lastly, London-based electro-infused rock duo the Big Pink will be performing at the El Rey Theatre with Long Beach natives Crystal Antlers (LAist Review) and LA-bred goth/dance-infused rock duo IO Echo.

       

Up in the Air is a comedy-drama directed by Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking and Juno.) It is an adaptation of the 2001 novel of the same name, written by Walter Kirn. According to Reitman, “The movie is about the examination of a philosophy -- what if you decided to live hub to hub, with nothing, with nobody?” Well, what if the “you” was George Clooney? In that case, you would be dressed as dapper as could be, wantonly leaving women in your wake as you fly on to your next destination.

Tonight Florida-bred singer-songwriter Chris Carraba, or rather Dashboard Confessional, will be headlining the Hollywood Palladium with Floridian pop punk quintet New Found Glory (CANCELLED!). Celebrated Boston-based post-punk outfit Mission of Burma are poised to take on the Echo with none other than hometown heroes the Henry Clay People (Review, #2, #3, #4)...

Fans of Where the Wild Things Are and Spike Jonze will want to head to FAMILY at 5 this evening as the famed director signs copies of his book Heads On & We Shoot: The Making Of Where The Wild Things Are. About the book, via FAMILY's website: "The book design is heavily image-based, a mix of early sketches, storyboards, character designs, and extensive behind-the-scenes photographs that show both incredible live-action puppetry and computer animation. The text includes forewords by Jonze and Eggers, interviews with the cast and crew, stories from on and off the set, and early drafts of the screenplay."

Holly Mosher is an award-winning filmmaker dedicated to bringing socially conscious films to the public. Her latest documentary, Bonsai: Celebrating the Work of Muhammad Yunus, focuses on the work of Nobel Prize winner Yunus and his microcredit organization Grameen Bank. Mosher will appear Saturday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. in Santa Monica as part of Empowerment Works’ Artist in Action Series. The event will offer a sneak preview of Bonsai to raise completion funds for the film and begin outreach programs for microcredit and social business. LAist spoke to the Venice-based Mosher about her inspiring documentary and applying sustainability to capitalism.

"Do They Know It's Christmas?" as crooned by the Comedy Death-Ray Xmas Nativity Choir a.k.a some of LA's best comedians a.ka. Paul F. Tompkins, R.O. Manse, Tig Notaro, Rob Huebel, Patton Oswalt, Mike Phirman, Jimmy Pardo, Brian Posehn & Scott Aukerman, Garfunkel & Oates, Aimee Mann, Chris Hardwick, Paul Scheer & June Diane Raphael, Doug Benson, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Nick Thune, "Weird Al" Yankovic...

MOCA--the Museum of Contemporary Art--opened 30 years ago in Los Angeles. To celebrate the anniversary, the museum opens its largest installation tomorrow, featuring more than 500 works from more than 200 artists from its own permanent collection.

                            

Last weekend Rachel Rosenthal celebrated her birthday with a wild and wacky shindig at Track 16. Dramatic and funny performances paid tribute to the popular artist and teacher, delicious Cake Diva cupcakes were passed by a sexy Marie Antoinette and an eccentric array of guests laughed as they drank little pink bottles of Bitch Bubbly.

                     

We hope you came out and enjoyed the I Hate Everyone But You opening reception last night at De La Barracuda. Matt Goldman, aka MFG, and Tim Biskup were in good form, welcoming guests and discussing their old and new work. If you weren't able to make it last night, not to worry! The show will be up through the end of next month, with tons of goodies of various price ranges to buy before the holidays are officially here.

       

After a summer of memorable shows at the Hollywood Bowl, the 2009 posters will be exhibited at the Arclight along with many images created for bowl performances throughout the years. No one will forget Grace Jones master class in theatricality and the night that Jenny Lewis and Ray Lamontagne shared their unique authenticity with the Bowl audience. These shows and more hold a special spot in our hearts and now can take their place on our walls.

Launch a preemptive strike on Black Friday by jumpstarting your holiday shopping in South Pasadena this weekend. Merchants on Mission Street from Fair Oaks Pharmacy to City Hall will hold open houses, offer discounts and give out goody bags (woot!) during this pre-holiday block party. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Weekend Edition Programming of note this weekend: "Saturday Night Live" has an odd choice for host this week: January Jones, aka Betty Draper from AMC's "Mad Men". She has a part in the obnoxiously overpromoted comedy Pirate Radio but does that make her funny? We're going to watch to find out if this turns out to be a brilliant gamble. Musical guest is the eager-to-participate-in-any-sponsorship-opportunity aka "whores", the Black Eyed Peas.